Israel is a democracy, and its Palestinian Arab citizens enjoy full legal and political rights. Yet Israel is also a Jewish state, and a state that, in addition, has long been at war with the Arab world. The circumstances of Israel's Arabs have also been shaped by the conditions under which the country gained independence, following a war that left in Israel a Palestinian remnant that was impoverished, fragmented, and leaderless. Within this context, Israel's Palestinian citizens have been struggling since the early days of statehood for development, equality, and a strategy of political mobilization that would enable them to defend their interests and exercise meaningful political influence. They have made gradual but increasingly significant progress toward these objectives, particularly in recent years. Nevertheless, on balance, they remain on the margins of Israeli political life and are not yet sufficiently mobilized or united to play a political role commensurate with their demographic importance.
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